The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 07 (of 10)
General
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 07 (of 10)
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Ajib
purposed to slay Gharib, the Wazir rose and said, “Deal not hastily,
for we have always power to kill him!” So Ajib bade lay his brother
Gharib in irons and chain him up in his own tent and set a thousand
stout warriors to guard him. Meanwhile Gharib’s host, when they awoke
that morning and found not their King, were as sheep sans a shepherd;
but Sa’adan the Ghul cried out at them, saying, “O folk, don your
war-gear and trust to your Lord to defend you!” So Arabs and Ajams
mounted horse, after clothing themselves in hauberks of iron and
shirting themselves in straight knit mail, and sallied forth to the
field, the Chiefs and the colours moving in van. Then dashed out the
Ghul of the Mountain, with a club on his shoulder, two hundred pounds
in weight, and wheeled and careered, saying, “Ho, worshippers of idols,
come ye out and renown it this day, for ’tis a day of onslaught! Whoso
knoweth me hath enough of my mischief and whoso knoweth me not, I will
make myself known to him. I am Sa’adan, servant of King Gharib. Who is
for jousting? Who is for fighting? Let no faint-heart come forth to me
to-day or weakling.” And there rushed upon him a Champion of the
Infidels, as he were a flame of fire, and drove at him, but Sa’adan
charged home at him and dealt him with his club a blow which broke his
ribs and cast him lifeless to the earth. Then he called out to his sons
and slaves, saying, “Light the bonfire, and whoso falleth of the Kafirs
do ye dress him and roast him well in the flame, then bring him to me
that I may break my fast on him!” So they kindled a fire midmost the
plain and laid thereon the slain, till he was cooked, when they brought
him to Sa’adan, who gnawed his flesh and crunched his bones. When the
Miscreants saw the Mountain-Ghul do this deed they were affrighted with
sore affright, but Ajib cried out to his men, saying, “Out on you! Fall
upon the Ogre and hew him in hunks with your scymitars!” So twenty
thousand men ran at Sa’adan, whilst the footmen circled round him and
rained upon him darts and shafts so that he was wounded in
four-and-twenty places, and his blood ran down upon the earth, and he
was alone. Then the host of the Moslems drave at the heathenry, calling
for help upon the Lord of the three Worlds, and they ceased not from
fight and fray till the day came to an end, when they drew apart. But
the Infidels had captured Sa’adan, as he were a drunken man for loss of
blood; and they bound him fast and set him by Gharib who, seeing the
Ghul a prisoner, said, “There is no Majesty and there is no Might save
in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! O Sa’adan, what case is this?” “O my
lord,” replied Sa’adan, “it is Allah (extolled and exalted be He!) who
ordaineth joy and annoy and there is no help but this and that betide.”
And Gharib rejoined, “Thou speakest sooth, O Sa’adan!” But Ajib passed
the night in joy and he said to his men, “Mount ye on the morrow and
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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